04/16/2026
Big news for eye care in Tennessee!
Today, Governor Bill Lee signed into law HB 1952 / SB 2076 expanding access to care and modernizing optometry across our state.
We’re sharing a photo from October 28, 2018 where Dr. Rob and fellow Tennessee optometrists met with Gov. Lee just days before he was elected. At the time, no one knew how long this journey would be or how much work it would take to get here.
But here we are.
This didn’t happen overnight. It took years of persistence, conversations, setbacks, and momentum… all centered around doing what’s best for patients.
We’re grateful for the leadership of bill sponsors State Senator Bo Watson and State Representative Ryan Williams, along with all of the co-sponsors in both the Senate and House who supported this effort.
We’re also thankful for the relationships built with so many Tennessee legislators throughout this process - especially State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson and State Representatives Scott Cepicky, Jake McCalmon, Kip Capley for State Representative, State Representative Clay Doggett, and State Representative Todd Warner.
We're thankful for the work of the Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians, who put in countless hours behind the scenes to help make this a reality.
It’s been a long road… but an important one.
HB 1952 / SB 2076 expands the state’s optometric scope of practice to include:
➡️Authorizing laser procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of anterior eye conditions, as well as the expanded use of local anesthesia for limited treatments.
➡️Establishing limited laser authority (with certification) for three procedures—peripheral iridotomy, selective laser trabeculoplasty and YAG capsulotomy.
➡️Establishing that doctors of optometry are held to the same standard of care as other physicians performing similar services.
➡️Updating the defined statute to include treatment of the eye, eyelids and adnexa, as well as optometry’s ability to perform aesthetic injections, such as botulinum toxin.
At Spring Hill Eyecare, our focus remains the same… delivering the highest level of care to our patients and our community.
And today… that care just took a step forward.